wcthunderbolts.com

AVON, OH – The ThunderBolts split a pair of pitchers’ duels with Lake Erie at Sprenger Stadium on Wednesday night, winning the opener 3-0 before dropping game two 3-2.

Game one was the completion of a suspended game from June 30. The game picked up at 0-0 in the bottom of the third and back-to-back singles restarted the action before a Micah Coffey sacrifice fly put the ThunderBolts on the board, breaking a scoreless tie.

They added another run in the fifth as the Bolts loaded the bases on two singles and a walk before Tyler Straub hit a sacrifice fly.

Doubles from Zach Rheams and Tyler Alamo in the sixth capped the scoring.

The Windy City bullpen shut down Lake Erie’s bats for six straight innings as Joel Toribio (3-2) got the win, throwing three innings and allowing just one hit. Sean Leland struck out three over two perfect frames and Blake Hickman earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Jake Repavich (5-6) took the loss, allowing three runs in three innings.

Tanner Gardner reached on an error with two outs in the first inning and started the scoring in game two as he scored when Chase Cockrell reached on an error.

The 1-0 lead for the ThunderBolts held all the way into the sixth inning when Tyler Thornton, who had thrown 15 straight scoreless innings, allowed a leadoff walk. After a double and hit batter loaded the bases, Steven Kraft stepped up with a three-run double.

The ThunderBolts fought in the seventh when Taisei Fukuhara hit a leadoff double and scored on a passed ball. Brynn Martinez singled to put the tying run on with two out but was stranded there.

Seth Lucio (1-0) pitched a perfect sixth for the win and Thornton (6-3) went the distance but took the loss.

The series continues on Wednesday evening with a 5:35 first pitch from Sprenger Stadium. Cole Bellair (3-5, 5.63) gets the start for the ThunderBolts against Lake Erie’s Sean Johnson (2-2, 2.82). The radio broadcast can be heard on WXAV, 88.3 FM and wxav.com.